Archery bow sight

ABSTRACT

The invention encompasses archery bow sights that comprise at least one lens configured to eliminate parallax. In one aspect of the invention, the site includes at least one plus power ribbon accommodating lens supported by a support means. A reference means is forwardly mounted in front of the lens so as to be located along the archer&#39;s line of sight between the lens and a target when the archer is shooting the bow. The optical lens of the sight eliminates parallax so that the archer&#39;s eye does not need to realign his line of sight between an archery peep, the reference means, and the target when the archer changes elevation of the bow.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to archery bow sights, and morespecifically to an archery bow sight that includes an optical lens forenhanced visual sighting.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Archery bow sights are well known in the art and encompass a variety oftypes. However, a common problem among archery bow sights is thedifficulty an archer has in visually aiming an archery bow. The archermust adjust the bow angle depending upon the distance the archer wishesto shoot. The greater the distance of the intended target from thearcher, the more the archer must increase the angle at which he or shereleases the arrow. A constant problem with known archery bow visualsights is that each time the archer adjusts the angle of the bow, thearcher must also adjust his or her line of sight so that the archery bowsight, reference point, and target are all aligned. This is due to aphenomenon known as parallax.

Parallax is the apparent displacement, or the difference in apparentdirection, of an object as seen from two different points not on astraight line with the object. Often, an object will appear to shiftposition when viewed from two different points not on a straight linewith the object. Archery bow sights are generally configured with aseries of reference means consisting of parallel pins that each signifya specific distance of the target from the archer, and an aperture, or“peep”, sight located on the drawstring. The archer lines up the peep,pin, and target in his line of sight in order to shoot the intendedtarget. Thus, the archer is forced to align all three reference pointsprior to shooting the arrow. For targets that are farther away, a lowerpin in the series of reference pins on the archery bow sight is used toaim the bow. The phenomenon of parallax causes the intended target toappear to shift when the archer adjusts his line of sight through thepeep toward a different reference pin. Parallax forces the archer toview each designated pin through the same peep in order to change theangle of attack on the bow. Therefore, the archer may need to realignhis or her line of sight, as well as adjust the angle of the bow, torealign the peep and reference pin with the target, thus aligning allthree reference points and changing the angle of the bow and thedistance to which the arrow travels.

A general goal of archery bow sights is to improve the accuracy of theaim of the archer so that he or she has a much better likelihood ofstriking the intended target.

Another general goal of archery bow sights is to improve the speed anddistance at which an archer can shoot an arrow so that he or she mayshoot at targets at greater distances from the archer.

In light of the above discussed goals, it would be desirable to developan archery bow sight which allows for enhanced visual reference of thetarget.

It would also be desirable to develop an archery bow sight which allowsfor minimal archery bow adjustment while aiming at a target.

It would also be desirable to develop an archery bow sight which allowsthe archer to utilize the sight while maximizing his or her draw lengthwhich increases the speed and distance at which an arrow may travel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the invention are described below withreference to the following accompanying documents.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an archery bow sight illustrating afirst embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view of an embodiment of the present inventionillustrating a meniscus lens optical element.

FIG. 3 is a front view of an optical lens illustrating an element of oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a front view of an optical lens illustrating another elementof an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a front view of an optical lens illustrating another elementof an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a front view of an optical lens illustrating another elementof an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a side view of a meniscus optical lens illustrating anotherelement of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a side view of a plano-convex optical lens illustratinganother element of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a side view of a biconvex optical lens illustrating anotherelement of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a side view of an achromatic doublet optical lensillustrating another element of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagrammatic view of an archery bow with an aperture bowsight requiring an archer use three reference points when aiming anarchery bow at a target.

FIG. 12 is a diagrammatic view of an embodiment of the present inventionillustrating an archery bow sight of the present invention requiring anarcher use only one reference point when aiming an archery bow at atarget.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In describing the preferred embodiments, certain terminology will beutilized for the sake of clarity. Such terminology is intended toencompass the recited embodiment, as well as all technical equivalents,which operate in a similar manner for a similar purpose to achieve asimilar result.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate an embodiment of an archery bow sight,hereinafter archery bow sight 8, with an optical element 9, in FIGS. 1and 2 shown as optical lens 10 for enhanced visual sighting. Archery bowsight 8 comprises at least one plus (positive) power ribbonaccommodating optical lens 10 and a support element 12 configured tosupport optical lens 10. Optical lens 10 in a preferred embodimentcomprises an elongated ribbon-like shape, but may comprise a variety ofshapes and configurations. Frame 11 is configured to accommodate opticallens 10 and support element 12, and frame 11 may be mountable on anarchery bow. In one embodiment, optical lens 10 comprises a sphericallens including, but not limited to, a biconvex lens 44 or a meniscuslens 42. The lens is preferably a meniscus lens 42, however other lenstypes may be used. The meniscus lens 42 is preferred because the convexfront surface 24 and concave back surface 26 of the meniscus lens 42substantially reduce undesirable reflections. Further, optical lens 10may be coated with an antireflective coating 58 to reduce reflection andchromatic aberration by increasing the critical angle of the lightpassing through optical lens 10.

Optical lens 10 comprises a plus power. The reciprocal (inverse) of thedioptric power, D, of a lens equals the focal length, in meters, of thelens. The focal length, f, of the lens will be f=1÷+(x)D, where x is thepower of the lens. In various embodiments, optical lens 10 is typicallya plus power of at least 0.5 dioptric power and no greater than 16dioptric power, and preferably at a plus power of at least 1 dioptricpower and preferably a plus power of no more than 5 dioptric power. Inone embodiment, the optical lens 10 comprises an achromatic lens 48.Optical lens 10 may comprise an achromatic doublet 36 configured withtwo individual lenses 36 a and 36 b, including, but not limited to, aconcave lens 36 a and a convex lens 36 b.

Optical lens 10 is located between the archery bow riser and the archerybow string. Reference means 20 is forwardly positioned from optical lens10, forwardly being defined as the direction in which an archer wouldshoot an arrow. In one embodiment, reference means 20 comprises at leastone pin 16. In alternate embodiments, reference means 20 comprises atleast one conical pointer 38 configured to reflect indirect lighthitting the conical pointer 38 at all angles. Because conical pointer 38reflects indirect light at all angles, conical pointer 38 allows for adefinitive aiming point at which to aim at a target.

FIGS. 3 through 6 illustrate various configurations and shapes ofoptical lens 10. In one embodiment, optical lens 10 is configuredsubstantially vertical to the axis of the archery bow. In alternateembodiments, optical lens 10 is configured substantially horizontal tothe axis of the archery bow. In further embodiments, optical lens 10comprises a variety of shapes and orientations, including, but notlimited to, a substantially vertical ribbon lens 28, a substantiallyhorizontal ribbon lens 30, a substantially half-circular lens 32, or ahalf ribbon lens 34.

FIGS. 7 through 10 illustrate various optical lens elements 10 ofalternate embodiments of bow sight 8. Optical lens 10 allows the archerto view the reference means 20 at varying heights. Parallel light rayscontact optical lens 10 and then light rays converge at focal point 40located at about reference means 20. This allows the archer to changethe angle and height at which he or she is holding the archery bow,thereby changing the height at which he or she is looking throughoptical lens 10, without having to realign his or her line of sightbecause the focal point 40 at about reference means 20 remains constant.

FIG. 7 illustrates a side view of meniscus optical lens 42 in whichparallel light rays contact meniscus optical lens 42 and converge atfocal point 40. FIG. 8 is a side view of a plano-convex optical lens 50illustrating another element of an embodiment of the present inventionin which parallel light rays contacting plano-convex optical lens 50converge at focal point 40. FIG. 9 is a side view of a biconvex opticallens 44 illustrating another element of an embodiment of the presentinvention in which parallel light rays contacting biconvex optical lens44 converge at focal point 40. FIG. 10 is a side view of an achromaticdoublet lens 48 illustrating another element of an embodiment of thepresent invention in which parallel light rays contacting achromaticdoublet lens 48 converge at focal point 40.

As the archer places the image of the reference means 20 in line ofsight of the target when viewed through optical lens 10, the archer maychange the angle and elevation at which he or she is holding the bowwithout having to readjust his or her line of sight (as he or she wouldthrough an aperture sight) because the archer needs only to realign withthe target the image of reference means 20 as viewed through opticallens 10. The optical lens 10 of sight 8 eliminates the effect ofparallax so that the archer's eye 54 does not need to realign his lineof sight between an archery peep 52, the reference means 20, and thetarget 56 when the archer changes elevation of the bow. Instead of threefixed reference points as illustrated in FIG. 11, the archer must onlyadjust one reference point, specifically reference means 20. The abilityto adjust bow angle and elevation without requiring realignment of thearcher's line of sight is a significant advantage in that it improvesthe accuracy, as well as the speed, at which the archer can placereference pin 16 on target 56 when aiming at target 56.

FIG. 11 illustrates an embodiment of a traditional aperture sight.Traditional aperture sights require an archer to align three referencepoints with the target 56, the three reference points comprising a peep52, a reference means 20, and the archer's eye 54. FIG. 12 illustratesan embodiment of the present invention, archery bow sight 8. Archery bowsight 8 requires an archer align only one reference point, specificallyreference means 20, with target 56 prior to shooting an arrow.

Archery bow sight 8 is located between the archery bow riser and thearchery bow string. Traditional aperture bow sights locate peep 52 onthe archery bow string which requires the archer to keep the bow stringin front of his or her eye. Archery bow sight 8 is not located on thebow string which allows the archer to pull the bow string past thearcher's eye. This allows the archer to increase his or her draw length,which in turn increases the speed and distance at which an archer canshoot an arrow.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations andmodifications of the just-described preferred embodiments can beconfigured without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.Other suitable fabrication, manufacturing, assembly, and test techniquesknown in the art can be applied in numerous specific modalities by oneskilled in the art and in light of the description of the presentinvention described herein. Therefore, it is to be understood that theinvention may be practiced other than as specifically described herein.The above description is intended to be illustrative, and notrestrictive. Many other embodiments will be apparent to those of skillin the art upon reviewing the above description. The scope of theinvention should, therefore, be determined with reference to theknowledge of one skilled in the art and in light of the disclosurespresented above.

What is claimed is:
 1. An archery bow sight comprising: A at least one optical element; A support element configured to support said optical element; and A at least one reference means for referencing a specific distance of the target from the bow, said reference means being forwardly positioned from said optical element at a distance about equal to one focal length from said optical element, forwardly being defined as the direction in which an archer would shoot an arrow.
 2. The archery bow sight of claim 1, wherein said reference means comprises a at least one pin.
 3. The archery bow sight of claim 1, wherein said reference point comprises a at least one conical pointer whereby said conical pointer reflects indirect light hitting said conical pointer at all angles allowing for a definitive aiming point.
 4. The archery bow sight of claim 1, wherein said optical element comprises a single focal length optical lens having a focal length about equal to a distance between said lens and said reference means.
 5. The archery bow sight of claim 4, wherein said optical lens comprises a at least one plus power ribbon accommodating optical lens.
 6. The archery bow sight of claim 5, wherein said plus power ribbon accommodating lens comprises a spherical lens, said spherical lens including, but not limited to, a biconvex lens or a meniscus lens.
 7. The archery bow sight of claim 5, wherein said plus power ribbon accommodating lens is configured substantially horizontal to the axis of the archery bow.
 8. The archery bow sight of claim 5, wherein said plus power ribbon accommodating lens is configured substantially vertical to the axis of the archery bow.
 9. The archery bow sight of claim 5, wherein said plus power ribbon accommodating lens is configured as about a half lens, whereby said half lens covers and magnifies about half of the area of said sight and whereby about half of the area of said sight is open to the archer's natural line of sight.
 10. The archery bow sight of claim 5, wherein said plus power ribbon accommodating lens is configured as about a half ribbon lens, whereby said half ribbon lens covers a portion of said sight but does not extend completely across said sight.
 11. The archery bow sight of claim 5, wherein said plus power ribbon accommodating lens further comprises an antireflective coating whereby the critical angle of the light passing through said antireflective coating is increased.
 12. The archery bow sight of claim 5, wherein said plus power ribbon accommodating lens comprises a dioptric power of from plus 0.50 dioptric power to plus 16 dioptric power.
 13. The archery bow sight of claim 5, wherein said plus power ribbon accommodating lens comprises an achromatic lens.
 14. The archery bow sight of claim 13, wherein said plus power ribbon accommodating lens further comprises an achromatic doublet configured with two individual lenses.
 15. The archery bow sight of claim 14, wherein said achromatic doublet further comprises a concave lens and a convex lens.
 16. The archery bow sight of claim 14, wherein said achromatic doublet further comprises a plano convex lens.
 17. An archery bow sight comprising: A plus power optical lens having a single focal length; A support element configured to support said plus power optical lens; and A at least one reference means forwardly positioned from said plus power optical lens a distance about equal to the distance between said lens and said focal point, forwardly being defined as the direction in which an archer would shoot an arrow.
 18. The archery bow sight of claim 17, wherein said plus power optical lens is a spherical lens, including, but not limited to, a biconvex lens or a meniscus lens.
 19. The archery bow sight of claim 17, further comprising a frame configured to accommodate said optical element, said support means for said optical element, and said reference means, said frame configured for mounting on an archery bow.
 20. A method of removing the effect of parallax from an archery bow sight comprising the acts of: Viewing a reference pin through a plus power ribbon accommodating optical lens wherein said reference pin is located about a single focal length from said optical lens; Aligning said reference pin as viewed through said plus power ribbon accommodating optical lens with a target; and Aiming the archery bow at said target. 